Who is the typical Aurorasaurus citizen scientist?

Aurorasaurus was created two years ago, and it’s been a blast thanks to our users! We sent out a survey to all of our users to learn more about them, how they use Aurorasaurus, and what they want from us in the future. Nearly 400 users responded (about 20 percent of our users!) so thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey and share their experiences with us! Take a look at what we found out about our Aurorasaurus users!

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE SURVEY

How interested are you in auroras?

Most of our users are very interested in the aurora and describe themselves as “aurora enthusiasts”. About a third of the survey participants are active in other online aurora communities, such as various Facebook groups. Even more interesting: 64 percent of you have researched information about auroras online, yet only about a third have visited the educational aspects of our website such as the blog or learn page which includes quizzes. We highly encourage you to visit those pages because users who visited them found them overwhelmingly useful!

What do you do with our notifications?

Aurorasaurus sends our notifications to users when an aurora may be visible in the user’s area. Almost everyone who filled out the survey said they would like to have notifications. Many even said they would like notifications of a visible aurora, even if it’s not in their area. Only 16 percent of survey participants received notifications, but 88 percent actually took action after receiving the alert! Some went outside with friends or by him or herself, and some shared the information with others. We’re so excited to have so many people take action after receiving the alerts! We just improved our alert system and look forward to sending you better alerts via social media and email!